Aldrich Guest House — Hotel in Galena

This was our second stay at the Aldrich Guest House and already booked another long weekend there. We have stayed at bed & breakfasts all over the world and this is one of our favorites. The minute you walk into the house, an incredible sense of tranquility surrounds you. Douglas and Robert are charismatic, hospitable, professional, and thoughtful. We truly enjoyed talking with them and learning about the historical past of the Aldrich House, as well as many other architectural gems throughout Galena. Robert and Douglas are passionate about preserving the history of the Aldrich house, while elevating the bed & breakfast experience, and that enthusiasm and commitment is shown in their attentiveness to every small detail throughout the home. The house is immaculately clean and they have done an outstanding job in response to the COVID pandemic, including triple sheeting the beds and having HVAC units in every room. Every night we looked forward to the Happy Hour with their seasonal handcrafted cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. It would be remiss to not mention the delicious breakfasts as well. One morning we were treated to their baked cranberry cream cheese French toast (incredible!), and the other morning their award-winning potato waffles (exceptional!). Their homemade cookies are scrumptious as well!

Many of the bed and breakfasts we have stayed at have provided information about things to do in the area, restaurants, etc., but Robert and Douglas take this to a whole new level by collaborating with businesses in Galena to ensure their guests have an unforgettable getaway experience. After watching videos they posted to social media, we signed up for a few workshops offered by local businesses. We were running late for one of the workshops and when we arrived and apologized for being a few minutes late, the shop owner was incredibly gracious and said, “No worries, Robert called us to let us know you would be here shortly.” Robert’s thoughtfulness in making that 1 minute call was very meaningful to us because it immediately took away the stress we were feeling from running late and allowed us to relax and have an amazing time. (As a side note, we highly recommend the Scent Workshop and Coffee Cupping experiences!)

With their combined 45+ years of experience in the industry, Robert and Douglas have truly have mastered the art of what every bed & breakfast experience should be. I would imagine most people plan a trip to Galena and then research accommodations in the area. For this getaway, we did the opposite -- we made sure the Aldrich House was available and booked our room, and then planned the rest of our Galena trip. I truly believe it speaks volumes when our destination was the Aldrich House and everything else Galena has to offer was a bonus. We are already looking forward to our return trip in...

We had a wonderful stay at the Aldrich house and would certainly recommend it. This was my first time staying at a bed and breakfast, but a promise to my wife that someday we would try it. Today was that day. Several days before the night of our stay, we received a call from Robert asking about any dietary restrictions, and what time we thought we would be arriving so they would be ready for us. He asked if we had any questions, and provided some insights to Galena which was helpful. Overall, they were easy to communicate with, providing input to answer our questions. We were driving for 3 hrs from Chicago after a meeting and arrived at 6:30 pm (unfortunately missing cocktail hr. at 5 pm), but they happily made dinner reservations for us in Galena after we picked from several restaurant choices they recommended. Parking was easy. We walked to downtown in 15 minutes, great location! Our room was ready to go when we arrived, it was clean, and nice and cool from the air-conditioning. The entire house is full of history, and they keep it well organized and clean also which demonstrates their eagerness to have you appreciate what they are building with this business. We will certainly come back for a stay which we will do with some neighbors in the near future. The bed was very comfy, everything in the room was clean, we had a great nights sleep. The next day, brewed coffee was ready to go at 7:30 AM, and at 8:30 AM Douglas and Robert served us breakfast on the screened in porch which was fantastic. We started with a fruit/yogurt parfait, and orange juice. Their wonderful special French Toast for breakfast this day was awesome and yummy! They interacted with everyone who stayed the night before while serving breakfast. Overall, this was a great first time experience at a bed and breakfast. They set the bar high for ourselves in the bed and...

We arrived to a warm welcome and rich history lesson that was shared with such love for the town of Galena and those that call it home. And speaking of home, from the beginning of our stay through that big green door until the last sweet goodbyes (for now), Aldrich Guest House was a lovely place to call a home away from home.

A holiday tree complete with golden accents is nestled into the corner of a Better Homes and Gardens-worthy living room space. Such a wonderful place to take pictures! The area was also home to a gaming cupboard that invited us to make the space our own. Looking forward to a Scrabble rematch during our next visit!

A few steps away into the dining room, we found homemade cookies that were baked in-house and were a foreshadowing of the frosty fun yet to come during our winter stay!

A subtle aroma of delicious food greeted the senses as we woke up, and we highly recommend enjoying a room-delivered meal at some point during a stay here.

Oh, and don't even get me started on my vegan breakfasts! The food was dancing on my tastebuds- an absolute delight! I took my first bite, closed my eyes, and thought, “These guys really know their stuff!”

That thought repeated itself continuously throughout the trip as we realized just how much attention to detail was given to every aspect of our getaway. It felt like a gift.

We also made new friends during rich and meaningful breakfast conversations in the dining room. A sign near the front door says we come as strangers and leave as friends. So many thanks to Robert and Douglas for creating a space for guests to relax, slow down, and connect.

The level of professionalism, kindness, and care given was more than I can share here and far exceeded a five-star review option.

Sending love to our friends in Galena!

Until we meet again,

Gina...